UP doesn’t need adopted sons: Priyanka

Shahira Naim

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Tribune News Service

Maharajganj (Rae Bareli), Feb 17

“Why will Uttar Pradesh adopt anyone from outside? Is there no capable youth here?” questioned Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, ripping apart Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s claim that he was UP’s adopted son as he was voted to the Lok Sabha from Varanasi.

Addressing her maiden election meeting in the 2017 assembly election along with brother and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi at Baburiya Ground in mother Sonia Gandhi’s parliamentary constituency of Rae Bareli, Priyanka said: “You have two such youth in Rahulji and Akhileshji who have UP in their hearts and mind.”

She said: “No outside leader is required. Every single youth of the state is capable enough to become a leader… Every single youth here will work for UP and make the state rapidly progress. This is the wish of Rahulji and Akhileshji.”

Urging the crowd to make the Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance a success, Priyanka wondered what Modi had done for his constituency Varanasi in any case.

“You would remember what Rajiv Gandhiji as the PM did for Amethi. If a PM wants, he can do a lot. What has Modiji done for Varanasi?” she asked. Hitting out at the PM for claiming to be against exploitation of women, Priyanka accused him of doing exactly that with his decision of demonetisation. She said it had deprived women of their hard-earned savings and also made them stand in queues.

Earlier, Rahul accused Modi of depriving Rae Bareli of the proposed food park which was to generate employment. “He took away the opportunity of ‘Made in Rae Bareli’ out of vengeance,” said Rahul, adding that the Congress wanted to bring in 40 factories but the PM didn’t let it happen.

“Modiji talks about ‘Make in India’ but not a single youth got employment last year. Why? Because the PM instead gave the money to 50 corporate families of this country,” Rahul alleged. He condemned Modi’s ‘notebandi’ for hitting the small businesses, shopkeepers and farmers the hardest.

Promising bank loan for women and loan waiver for farmers if the SP-Congress alliance comes to power, Rahul asked what was stopping Modi from waiving farmers’ loans right away. “Modiji has said that if there is a BJP government in UP, he would waive farmers’ loans. UPA had done this. Was there a Congress government in UP then?” he said. Rahul addressed two meetings in Rae Bareli where sister Priyanka shared the dais and another at Hathgaon in Fatehpur district.